A Dream Cooking holiday with Sophia Lindop at the Château de La Creuzette

Limited Places Available

Autumn is here and the French countryside starts to change to hues of orange and brown. Bask in the early-Autumn sun with alfresco lunches under the age-old oak trees and enjoy sipping on ice-cold rosé from Provence. What better way to do this than with the exceptional cuisine of well-known chef, Sophia Lindop. We will enjoy hands-on cooking sessions with Sophia in the La Creuzette kitchen, do wine-pairing with exceptional French wines, and visit our local fresh produce market. A wonderful garden visit, amongst other breathtaking excursions, is also on the program. Come and enjoy ‘la belle vie’ with us at the dreamy château de La Creuzette!

Cost breakdown

La Creuzette special interest programmes are carefully compiled to ensure that you have the ultimate, hassle-free luxury holiday experience. Our all-inclusive land arrangement means that everything aside from flights, train tickets, Schengen visas and personal expenses are taken care of as follows:

• €3350 per person sharing
• Collection from Châteauroux train station on the 6^th October and transfer to La Creuzette
• Luxurious accommodation at La Creuzette for the 5 nights / 6 days
• Full board accommodation (i.e. all meals with drinks, also at restaurants we visit)
• All excursions including entrance fees and gratuities
• All cooking demonstrations with Sophia Lindop
• Wine pairings with all the meals
• Transfer back to Châteauroux train station at the end of the week at La Creuzette

A deposit of €1000 secures your booking with the balance due on or before your arrival at La Creuzette. A single supplement of €650 applies for single occupation.

Itinerary

Day 1 (Sunday, 6 October)

Collection from Châteauroux train station where the group will arrive between 12:00 and 13:00, and road transfer to Château La Creuzette, your holiday residence in Boussac village. We stop for a delicious lunch at the famous l'Escale Village. You arrive at your holiday destination in time for tea, coffee and mignardises (typically French confectionaries). Take some time to settle in, relax and explore the grounds. We meet at 19h30 for a glass of champagne in the garden, followed by our welcome dinner.

Day 2 (Monday, 7 October)

Breakfast will be served at 9am in the main dining room. After breakfast, we meet Sophia in the summer kitchen. We enjoy a morning of cooking together and exploring several Lebanese recipes and cooking methods. After a morning of creative cuisine we sit down for an alfresco lunch under the age-old oak trees. A delicious rosé from Provence will be paired perfectly to the lunch menu. After lunch, we have a moment’s repose to enjoy relaxing time. Later, we return to the kitchen to continue our cooking session in preparation for dinner. Dinner will be enjoyed in the summerhouse dining room around a beautifully set table.

Day 3 (Tuesday, 8 October)

After breakfast, we explore the picturesque village of Aubusson where French tapestries and carpets have been woven and restored for centuries. The Cité de la Tapisserie with superb collections of ancient and contemporary tapestries is our first destination. Lunch will be enjoyed at one of the restaurants on the banks of the river Creuse, and later we also visit a master weaver’s studio, the cartoon (tapestry pattern) museum, and a restorer of antique masterpieces. Tonight we enjoy cocktails and a Lebanese cooking session with Sophia. Dinner follows.

Day 4 (Wednesday, 9 October)

After breakfast we drive to nearby Montlucon. We stroll through the medieval part of the charming village where we will have time to shop at some of the small boutiques and antique shops. We visit our wine merchant at his newly renovated tasting room for a special wine tasting and a traditional French lunch. After lunch, there will be an opportunity to buy some special wine and perhaps a good whisky with the help of a connoisseur. From here we visit a brocante shop where we search for beautiful antique treasures. We return to La Creuzette and later, we meet for drinks and dinner prepared by our chef intern.

Day 5 (Thursday, 10 October)

Today is market day in Boussac. After breakfast, we meander through the colourful market stalls, which are laden with fresh fruit and vegetables, and other artisanal products from the region. Along with Sophia, we explore the fresh produce on offer and shop for ingredients for our lunch menu. Back at La Creuzette we prepare a delicious harvest table lunch which will be enjoyed at the long stone table in front of the La Creuzette summer kitchen. After lunch, we take a short drive to the Priory garden at Notre Dame d’Orsan (the inspiration for the garden design at Babylonstoren in Franschhoek and now also The Newt in Somerset, UK). We spend the afternoon in this magical creation of pure delight. We return to La Creuzette where you will have some time to pack. Our Farewell dinner, prepared by Sophia and our chef intern, follows in the dining room of the summerhouse.

Day 6 (Friday, 11 October)

This morning there will be an optional morning walk for whoever wishes to join. We enjoy a leisurely breakfast and after breakfast, we have some relaxing time at La Creuzette. Late morning we depart for Châteauroux from where the fast train to Paris departs.

Please note that this itinerary may be amended to accommodate suppliers, service providers and the weather.

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